Fate's Irony
by Rayvnswing
Summary: The fat lady hasnt sung for Carolyn yet...what happens when she meets up with Riddick - not to chat about the old times, but to arrest him?
1. Prologue

Fate's Irony  
  
***Disclaimer: All known characters from the movie aren't mine, nor am I am making any money off them. Please don't sue. ***  
  
  
  
Prologue  
  
Running through the mud towards the skiff, holding my liquor bottle of glowing larva, I could barely make out the moving forms of Jack and Imam ahead of me. I thanked whoever was listening that I had made it through this nightmare. I had redeemed my earlier actions and could now live with my relieved conscience. 'That was for you Owens, that was for you'.   
  
Just as my legs started cramping from the pain of running so far, we entered the small pool of light generated by the skiff. I ushered Jack and Imam up the ramp and into relative safety. I was just about to board myself when I realized that Riddick was not behind me. Looking out into the oppressive darkness that pressed upon the small puddle of light, I stood and wondered if he was dead.   
  
Just as I was debating whether or not to leave without him, a tortured scream cut the air sending shivers skittering down my spine. My feet were in motion before my brain could gainsay them; I raced into the night ignoring Imam's pleas to get on board. I was not going to leave the one man who had helped us through this ordeal to die on this god-forsaken, death trap of a planet. With only my glowing liquor bottle for protection, I ran in between the buildings, and the twenty-two year old pieces of debris desperately calling Riddick's name.   
  
"Riddick? RIDDICK! Where the hell are you?" I shuddered as my brain finally began to realize the extent of my body's betrayal. Disregarding my better instincts, I had once again willingly placed myself in danger, a danger the odds were I wouldn't survive. A sudden commotion less than five feet away startled me causing my already tattered nerves to fray just a little bit more. Whirling, I bathed the area in question in a soft blue glow.   
  
"Riddick!" I croaked relief making my voice horse, and my knees jellify.  
  
Looking over his slumped form, I could see a gaping wound in his leg, and several lacerations along his torso. "Here hold onto me," I said positioning my arms under his to help lever him to his feet.   
  
"Come on, get up!" I yelled when he kept sliding out of my grasp in the slippery mud.  
  
Get up Riddick" I screamed again, frustration and fear stealing what little strength I had from my limbs, making me breathless with fatigue. He was bleeding heavily and the hell spawn were sure to notice him and want him for an entrée. In utter desperation of getting us both back to the skiff in one piece, I said the first thing that I thought would get him mad enough to get moving.  
  
"I said I would die for them, Riddick, not you, so lets go." Just as the words cleared my lips, he found his balance and stood precariously leaning heavily on my shoulder. Suddenly we were jolted as a pair of razor sharp claws grabbed my waist from behind. Time slowed to a near stop as I got my last look at Riddick. I memorized each of his features wanting to tell him a million things in the span of a single second. He returned my stare apology, horror and defeat carving new lines onto his already rugged face.   
  
I dredged up an ironic smile while inwardly cursing the same powers that I had thanked so profusely earlier. As time resumed its normal passing I was jerked back and lifted into the air. I faintly heard the words "Not for me" reverberating in the silence, but was too scared to give it much thought. The fire in my sides expanded exponentially until it infected my whole body, and I almost blacked out from it and my fear of dying this way before I remembered the penlight tucked into my inner vest pocket. Using the last of my strength I retrieved it and shined its light directly into what I hoped was the creature's eyes.   
  
With a screech of pain that caused my ears to bleed, I was unceremoniously dropped. I fell with the rain for an infinity before crashing through the ceiling of one of the settlement buildings. After a surreal moment where I couldn't catch my breath or feel my body, everything came rushing back into focus, and the wave of pain that resulted, arched my back and flooded my senses. I could no longer tell which parts of me were injured and which were ok. I couldn't move. Then came the blessed darkness.  
  
Without her support, Riddick fell back to his knees before catching himself on his hands. Looking up at the dark sky that had swallowed Carolyn and her captor, he screamed his torment. "Not for me. Not For Me!" Slowly, half crawling, half stumbling, through the downpour Riddick made his way back towards the skiff knowing that he was the last living pilot on the planet and that he owed it to Carolyn to do his best to get Imam and Jack to safety.  
  
The creatures knew where he was by the tantalizing scent of his dripping blood, and were circling him like vultures do prey. They were waiting. Waiting for him to drop the liquor bottle; waiting for him to give up, and concede defeat.   
  
They could wait till Hell froze over.   
  
Carolyn had made the ultimate sacrifice and he was determined to make the most of the chance she died giving him. When he neared the bright glow of the skiff's headlights, the creatures following him gave outraged screeches and went into a frenzy trying to get to him without burning themselves on the dimming glow of the bottled larvae. Just as his strength gave out, the small clearing lit up as the rest of the skiff's emergency lights came on. Jack's terrified voice came to him from a distance.   
  
"Get up Riddick, get up" her youthful voice was overlaid by Carolyn's deeper tones as she insisted that Imam and Jack couldn't leave the planet without him. They needed him to save them, and he needed to save himself.   
  
Finding a small store of pure determination Riddick stumbled onto the ship and fastened himself into the pilot's chair. He closed the ramp, and fired up all the engines. After a moment's consideration though, a helpless desire to pay back just a little of the anguish they had caused Carolyn overwhelmed him. He powered down the skiff and turned off all the lights both inside and surrounding the ship.   
  
"Riddick? What the hell are you doing?" Came Jack's tremulous voice.  
  
Ignoring her for the moment he waited until he heard the telltale clicks of big feet passing over the metal of the hull. When the face of one of their would-be-executioners appeared in the window teeth bared, Riddick grinned mischievously and replied, "We can't leave...not without saying goodnight." Powering up, he blasted off, roasting all the creatures that were by the skiff hoping to get a midnight snack.  
  
Strapping herself into the co-pilot's chair, Jack looked over to study Riddick's profile. Her small voice filled the cabin when she quietly asked, " What are we going to do now?"  
  
"Now? Well right now we are going to stick out our thumbs and hope we get picked up. These skiffs were not made for extended, deep space journeys. Then we'll see." He said trying to concentrate on working the controls as his vision blurred and blood dripped down his leg to puddle in his boot and on the floor beside him.  
  
"There'll be lots of questions whoever we run into, could even be a merc ship. What do we tell them about you," she asked pensively.  
  
After a strained moment, Riddick turned to her and said definitively, "Just tell them Riddick's dead. He died somewhere on that planet."  
  
Imam's soulful chanting filled the ensuing silence, lulling Jack. The lights were dimmed in deference to Riddick's sensitivity to light, and the chair she was sitting in was the kind that was old and broken in so that it snuggled to curve of a body. She was so relieved after her ordeal that the adrenaline high that had kept her going dissipated, and for the first time in days she was utterly exhausted. She started to doze off and so was totally unnerved when Riddick suddenly grabbed her hand and placed it on the comm. controls. She was about to ask him what the hell he was doing when he slumped over in his chair.  
  
Imam's chanting cut off abruptly as we both rushed over to see what was going on. We were lowering Riddick to the floor so that he could lay prone when we noticed the blood oozing down his leg and spreading thinly beneath him.  
  
"Crap! I wonder how long he has been bleeding like that. Imam, do you think he's going to be ok?" I asked biting my lower lip anxiously?  
  
"We need to get him some medical attention as soon as we can. He's lost a lot of blood, and who knows what kind of toxins those creatures had in their claws. I will pray for his well being," He said sitting himself on the floor his head bowing in concentration.  
  
Just as I was about to ask what I could do to help, a steady beeping filled the ship. At first I thought it was a proximity alert and we were all gonna crash into some huge meteor and die; wouldn't it be ironic that we survived hell only to die by accident not even an hour later? Then reality set in and I realized it was our communication system. Someone was hailing us. Running to the controls, I realized I really didn't know a whole lot about what I was doing. Actually I didn't know anything at all.  
  
"This is captain Robert Starsmore of the merchant vessel "Lady Luck". Identify yourself," demanded a fractured staticy male voice over the internal speakers. Looking at the mass of dials and switches on the panel before me, I pressed the button that Riddick had placed my hand on earlier.   
  
Muttering a small prayer of "god I hope this is transmitting," I began to relay our information to the other ship. "My name is Audrey Kowalski and we have an injured man on our ship that needs immediate medical attention. Please, help us" I begged already on the verge of tears.  
  
"Audrey, this is the Captain speaking. We have a doctor shuttling over. Until she gets there I want you to talk to me ok?"  
  
"O.k.," I said my voice still quavering slightly from shock, exhaustion, and my fear of being left here, alone with Imam, to watch Riddick die.  
  
"Audrey, I want you to tell me where you just came from, and a brief description of what happened while you were there." His calm baritone helped sooth my frayed nerves. He didn't sound like the type of person who would leave a child or an injured man to die, alone in space. Now I just had to figure out what the heck I was going to tell them about us, cuz I sure as hell couldn't tell him the truth. Making a quick decision that I hoped was the right one, I looked at Imam, who was watching me from where he was on the floor with Riddick, and began to weave my tale.  
  
"Well, captain, me, my parents, and my uncle were traveling to the moons of Diaga in the Tangier System by way of the Hunter Gratzner. After being hit by a meteor shower, the ship crash-landed on some planet that we had thought was deserted. It wasn't." Those two, small words encapsulated the terror, the sorrow, the anger at being reduced to a single night's meal. "We just didn't know that the creatures that lived there only came out to play in the dark. Only three of us managed to escape. Everyone else is dead." I said choking on the last word, and thinking of Carolyn as tears ran down quietly my face. "My father piloted us off the planet, but he was injured by the creatures just before we left, and now no-one-else-knows-how-to-pilot-the-skiff-and-I-don't-want-to-die-and-I-don't-want-my-dad-or-uncle-to-die-either" I ended on a sob, a note of hysteria creeping in to my voice.  
  
" Audrey, listen to me. No one is going to die. Hold on a moment while I sort this whole thing out." A momentary silence filled the ship as both Imam and I waited for the captain to come back online.  
  
Suddenly the sound of shifting mechanisms filled our ears. Something was outside the ship. Thinking that somehow those creatures had followed us into space, I ran to Riddick and grabbed the shiv that he had tucked into the waistband of his pants. Slowly rising, I ignored Imam's pleas to put down the shiv, made my way to the back ramp and waited. I wasn't going out without a fight.  
  
I could hear the comm. system spitting static in the background, but had no time to think about it since the loading ramp was beginning to lower. Raising the shiv, I balanced on the balls of my feet, like I saw Riddick do, and waited tense as a coiled snake.  
  
Before the door fully opened, I lunged forward stabbing the shadows that lurked at the peripherals of my vision. I could feel my blade sinking in before a startled oath, and a grunt of pain skittered across the edges of my consciousness. But by that time I was too lost in a world of guilt and fear. All I could see were the creatures in front of me taunting me, telling me it was my fault that everyone had died, since it was me they had wanted, me who had been bleeding.   
  
I continued stabbing and struggling with all my might, wondering why I wasn't dead yet. I could hear Imam screaming, and an unknown voice saying "hold her down," and "get that damned blade away from her," but it was all just meaningless noise to my exhausted mind. Somehow, though, I found myself on the floor, on my back, and knew that this would be my end.   
  
I turned my face away, my eyes already closed to spare myself that last gruesome detail. At least Imam and Riddick would live to see sunlight. I felt a prick in my neck and was surprised since I thought it would hurt a whole lot more. Then without my consent, my body went limp and I knew my time had finally come. I was dead or dying. It really didn't matter anymore since it would all be over soon. I had always wanted to do something worthwhile with my life before I died. Oh well. My last thoughts fluttered away carelessly as the darkness creeped up to envelope me. 


	2. 

Chapter 1  
  
A couple hours after the skiff's abrupt departure from the desert planet's surface another ship entered orbit around the planet cloaked in darkness.  
  
"This is the Search and Rescue vessel Lady Liberty responding to the SOS from the Hunter Gratzner, does anyone read me?" queried a young male in a crisp blue uniform with a red cross patch prominently displayed on his chest and sleeve. He flipped a few switches and turned a few dials before trying again. "I repeat, can anyone hear me, this is the Search and Rescue vessel Lady Liberty hailing any survivors from the Hunter Gratzner."   
  
Receiving nothing but static for the third time, he turned his concerned gaze to his captain and said " Sir we have been continuously unable to raise any survivors from the Hunter Gratzner. Either they are all dead, or their communications systems are inoperable. Sir."  
  
"I know what it means Lieutenant, thank you." Returned the gravely voice of the ship's captain. "Are we in range to do a geographic surface scan?"  
  
"We will be in range in two minutes thirty seconds sir" the lieutenant replied after glancing at the instrument panel before him.  
  
"Well then can we at least get a visual of the planet's surface?"  
  
"Yes'ir, we are in range for that."  
  
"Good, zoom to maximum. I want to see what the hell happened down there." The captain turned towards the main screen expecting to see the crash site, and finding nothing but darkness.   
  
"Jarod," he called, exasperation and aggravation coloring his tone. "I believe I ordered the planet's surface to be displayed on the main screen - why is it still blank?"  
  
"That is the planet's surface sir. Huraga is in the middle of a solar eclipse that occurs every twenty-second year due to the system's unique planetal orbits...sir," came the lieutenant's terse reply.  
  
"Fine." Replied the captain with a look of warning for the Lieutenant's attitude. "Do the geographic scan and overlay with infra-red sensors. I want to know if anything is going bump in the night down there."  
  
"Yes'ir." Walking to the proper console, Jarod typed in the commands and waited for the computer's response.  
  
A tense moment of silence filled the control room as the crew looked toward Jarod. He returned their looks after consulting with the instrument panel for the second time. "We only have one human life sign sir, and it seems to be fading. However the planet shows an abundance of life near the crash site and what looks like an abandoned settlement. The computer can't place it though. It must be an unregistered life form. Sir."  
  
"Yes, thank you lieutenant Flyman. Take two men with you, and shuttle to the planet's surface. We don't know if these creatures are friendly, so be prepared for anything. There is one survivor, and I want him rescued. We need to know what caused the Hunter Gratzner to crash. That ship was logged as carrying forty commercial passengers and a code five prisoner by the name of Riddick, Richard B. The Company demands that we account for all those people.  
  
"Yes'ir"  
  
As they were leaving they could hear the Captain warning sickbay to make ready for possible casualties.  
  
Getting into the shuttle me, ensign Torrez, and ensign Paris looked at each other and grinned conspiratorily. The three amigos were together again. I remembered fondly the games and pranks we played all through our academy days. We navigated the atmosphere while catching up on old times and betting on who had pulled the most pranks since graduation. As we neared the landing sight, silence permeated the small craft. Not being able to see in the dark, we used our instruments to land the shuttle as close to the survivor's last known position as we could. By unspoken consensus we left the shuttle lights on to dispel some of the creepiness emanating from the darkness. Through the main window we could see the remains of a small abandoned settlement. We opened the shuttle doors not knowing what to expect. In the near distance we could hear rapid clicking, and the rustle of bodies moving. Staying as close to the light as possible, we slowly made our way to the building which housed the only human life signs on the whole planet.  
  
The door was barred. Using the flashlight attached to my handgun to look around. I could see several gaping holes in the side of the building where it looked like something had taken a couple slashes at the wall. One seemed just big enough to climb through if I squeezed a little. Shining the flashlight into the room I saw nothing immediately intimidating.   
  
I climbed through and looked around. There was a table knocked over in the far corner and an orrery in front of me. Next to the orrery I could see a limp bloody hand half-buried beneath pieces of roof that were littered across the floor. Calling out for some help I tucked my gun back into its holster and started pulling sheets of tin and canvas off the body. Hearing my call, Brian came scrambling through the wall to see what I had found, while Harry remained outside to keep watch.   
  
Just as we uncovered a battered body covered in blood, a strangled scream just outside the building ended abruptly, echoing in the now heavy silence.  
  
"Paris?" I called out praying this was just his idea of a poor practical joke. "Harry, answer me damn it," I said my voice cracking a little with the fear coursing so freely through my body. We could both hear a loud rustling outside. Just as I was nearing the wall to investigate though, a massive head with lots of very sharp, very little teeth, pushed through one of the gashes startling us. It started hissing and shrieking, but was too big to clear the hole in the wall completely though that didn't stop it from trying.   
  
We both scrambled back in an effort to put as much space between us and it as was possible, but found ourselves up against the blocked door within a few steps. We had to get back to the shuttle. If I remembered correctly, it was only about thirty feet to the north of the building we were in now. I picked up the limp body and held it close while Brian moved the sheets of tin that had fallen and blocked the door. Soon, he had cleared an opening big enough for all three of us to fit through. Brian grabbed his gun and we made a run for it. Brian led the way since he carried the light and the gun, which was our only means of defense. I was right behind him cradling the survivor's limp form tightly to my chest and following the bouncing light ahead.   
  
We were about ten feet from the light of the shuttle when I stumbled over something in the dark, falling to one knee. Just as I pitched forward, I felt something razor sharp graze across my back as it passed me from behind. I could hear the flutter of wings and the angry shriek of some creature as it flew by empty-handed.  
  
I got to my feet and continued toward the light of the shuttle, hoping Torrez had kept going without me. After what seemed like forever, I made it up the ramp and laid my unconscious passenger down on the med-bay cot. From what I could see under the grime, bruises and blood my passenger was female. Calling for Brian, I strapped her in and hooked her up to the bio-scanner. I could hear the computer's flat impersonal voice relaying her status, though my attention was now mainly focused on finding my friend and crewmate.   
  
"Sex: female; weight: 125 standard earth pounds; temperature 102.3 F; probable concussion from head wound to left temple..."  
  
Taking one last visual sweep of the cabin, I hooked her up to an IV and wrapped her in thermo-blankets. Having found no sign of Brian in the cabin, I grabbed a flashlight off the shelf and walked towards the area where I had last seen him. I could hear the agitated clicks and hissing of creatures just outside my small circle of light, but I couldn't see them. I wasn't sure if that was better or worse though.  
  
I let my flashlight roam the malevolent darkness beyond while I called out.  
  
"Brriiaaannn. Brian Torrez can you hear me." As my light passed over the terrain, I heard a flurry of movement to my left. I quickly repositioned the beam thinking it was Torrez, only to find several creatures fighting over something on the ground. When the beam hit them though, they scurried to find the shadows, whistling shrilly in their anger. Leveling the light on what they had left behind I saw a scrap of navy blue material with the red-cross patch of the Search and Rescue uniform covered in blood.   
  
Turning away, I ran to the ship and closed the doors knowing that no others would be joining us. After making sure that my Jane Doe was still alive and as stable as I could get her, I rushed to get us airborne. I wanted to get off this damned planet as soon as possible. After breaking through the atmosphere I radioed the Lady Liberty to inform her of our mission status.  
  
"Lady Liberty this is Wild Cowboy over" I articulated trying not to think about Harry, whose job this normally would have been.  
  
"Go ahead Cowboy, we read you loud and clear."   
  
"Lady, have picked up Jane Doe, but suffered heavy casualties, over." My shock and guilt making my voice seem dull and lifeless even to my ears.  
  
"Understood Cowboy, bring her home, we're waiting for you."  
  
We were met by an emergency medical team in the shuttle bay of the Lady Liberty. After ascertaining that the woman had survived the rescue, they took her to sickbay for emergency surgery, leaving me to deal with the Captain.  
  
"What the hell happened down there," he yelled "I send you on a simple 'search and rescue' and you come back half dead minus two crewmates?"  
  
Straining to keep what little calm I had left, I kept my answers as short and concise as possible. "We met with some resistance,"  
  
"Resistance?" he asked incredulously. Looking over my torn and dirty uniform, which was liberally splattered with blood, he shook his head contemptuously. "It must have been some resistance since you look like you just waged World War III and came out on the losing side. "  
  
After a moment of silence, he sighed and informed me he wanted a full report on his desk as soon as possible. Then he walked away.  
  
After the echo of his shoes had faded into silence, I looked around the empty docking bay and muttered, "...Yeah, I'm feeling just fine, thanks for asking dad, I'm so happy to know you care."  
  
Walking to the Medical Bay was proving to be slightly harder than I had anticipated since the walls and floor kept moving. I managed to take about half a dozen steps before succumbing to the pressing need to sit down. Though I don't remember the actual decent, I somehow found myself on the floor praying that the world would stabilize before I threw up. Laying there I vaguely heard a feminine voice calling out worriedly "Medical personal to Deck 15 stat. Officer down. Officer Down!" Then I felt a cool hand on my forehead before the world went dark.  
  
Chapter 2  
  
"...Not for me Carolyn. Don't die for me," I screamed at her as she melted into the shadows only to be replaced by another.   
  
"I love you Ricki don't forget that...I love you always" the woman cried, her arms outstretched, her posture beckoning.  
  
"Mom? You can't be here, you're dead. You died on Riza Three." I choked. As I reached out to touch her and hold her close, she dissolved into a man whose harsh features still had the ability to chill me to the bone.   
  
"Richard! You'll never amount to anything; you're just like your mother - a mistake from birth. I should have had her abort you when I had the chance. They'll find you and lock you away for killing me. Did you think you could get away with it? Did you think you could get the better of me? You're just a good for nothing, stupid whelp. You'll never learn."  
  
"You fell down the stairs. It was an accident. I didn't mean to push you. You were hurting mom." I moaned desperately. "I had to protect her. It was an accident. Can't you understand?" I begged. "Leave me alone."  
  
His unrelenting words kept hammering away at my defenses as he grabbed my the shoulders and shook me. "You kill everything close to you. It killed your mother when you got arrested for my death. It was your fault Carolyn died. You will be the death of Jack..." and through it all the shaking continued.  
  
"Mr. Riddick...Mr. Riddick wake up you are having a nightmare. Mr. Riddick." Imam's demands for me to wake up were punctuated by his rough shakes of my shoulder.  
  
With a gasp, I jerked up in bed, trying to get my bearings after my horrific nightmare. Looking around I realized that Imam was the only familiar thing in the room.   
  
"Where are we?" I asked my voice still hoarse from sleep.  
  
"We are on the Lady Luck. A few moments after you passed out on the skiff this merchant vessel picked us up. You should be aware that you are now Jack's father and I am her uncle."  
  
"What the hell are you talking about? How long have I been out?"  
  
"36 hours"  
  
Shit. Shit. SHIT."  
  
Suddenly remembering that there was a third person to our party, I automatically looked around for her innocent face. Not seeing it I returned my attention to Imam and asked where she was.  
  
"There was a slight problem, during our rescue..."  
  
Without waiting to hear the rest of the story, I started to get up determined to go find her when the room suddenly started to spin. Sitting back down heavily, I settled for Plan B. Grabbing the front of his shirt, I pulled Imam close and demanded to know what had happened.  
  
"First of all, lay down. The Doctor said you might suffer from some side effects from the antibiotics that they were forced to give you."  
  
"What are you talking about? Why did I need antibiotics?" I asked hoping they hadn't taken a blood sample before I had a chance to change my records.  
  
"It was determined that the creature's talons secrete a type of poison when they come in contact with potential prey. It ensures that even if the prey escapes it wouldn't live for very long, allowing the creature to track it and eat it at will. Almost like a spider if you think about it."  
  
"Fuck. Did they have to take a blood sample."  
  
"Yes, Mr. Riddick. You know that is standard procedure."  
  
When he didn't say anything more, I asked him if he knew where it was already assuming the worst and wondering how I was going to get off this floating tub.  
  
"I made sure to 'accidentally' break the beaker after they diagnosed you." He said pinning me with his gaze.   
  
By his actions he had become an accessory, and had effectively joined all three of us at the hip. For better or worse, we had become an impromptu family, and it was up to us to take care of each other. I would prove my father wrong.  
  
"Thank you." Those two, small words were the only ones I could think of to express my gratitude though they fell short in conveying the depth of those feelings. I guess Carolyn really had managed to reacquaint me with the human race. Damn.  
  
After a moment of companionable silence I continued our conversation as if nothing had happened. "Getting back to Jack and her whereabouts..." I prompted.  
  
"Well let me begin by saying she held out a whole lot longer than I thought she would. When she heard the doctor's shuttle pulling up along side us, she lost it. I think she thought that we were being attacked again, because she grabbed the shiv from your pants, and lunged at the first thing she could get her hands on when the door opened. Unfortunately she first person she happened to stab the chief security officer from the "Lady Luck". Suffice to say that he was a bit upset and had her thrown in the brig after she had been sedated. She is still unconscious. I checked up on her right before I came to check on you."  
  
"Did the doc happen to mention when the meds would wear off?"  
  
"She said if you rest for a couple of hours, you should be fine. She also said the captain wants to talk to you as soon as you are able."  
  
"Great. Probably wants to corroborate Jack's story. If we pull this off, we'll be home free. Tell me everything she said to the captain...  
  
* * *  
  
"...Change my mind...don't want to die...to young to die, damnit," I thought disjointedly before jerking up in bed.   
  
The last thing I remembered was talking to the captain of the "Lady Luck" and telling him what happened while waiting for a doctor to come look at Riddick. Riddick. Imam. Where were they? Come to think of it, where was I?   
  
Lifting my hands to rub the last remnants of sleep from my eyes, I realized I was cuffed to the cot. "What the hell?" Looking around I saw nothing but a metal sink, a chair, and a toilet to brighten the sterile atmosphere. "Hello," I called out timidly, "is there anyone out there?" Getting no response I tried another tactic. "Hellooo!" I called out on the top of my lungs, "I'm awake in here and I have to go pee really bad, so if you don't want a messed up bed, you might want to give me a little help here."  
  
Suddenly a voice echoed in the stillness "I wouldn't advise that since you'll have to sleep in that bed for a while yet."  
  
Well at least I had gotten a response. Looking around for the source of the voice, I was stunned to find a small camera in one of the corners. I was being watched? What pervs. I was starting to get that lab rat feeling, and it was pissing me off.  
  
Tilting my head up to look directly into the camera I used my anger as a courage booster and demanded to know why I was being held against my will, as well as where my 'dad' and 'uncle' were.  
  
Expecting another response over the speakers, I was surprised and immediately suspicious when a tall, muscular guy with light brown hair and piercing blue eyes walked into the room. His only distinguishing mark was a bloody rag tied around his left bicep.   
  
"Who are you? Why am I here? And where is my dad?" I asked all in one breath, not really expecting a response, but feeling better having asked.  
  
"Since you're on my ship," he said calmly seating himself on the one chair occupying the room, "I'll ask the questions. Who are you really and why did you attack me after requesting our aid?  
  
"My name is Audrey Kowalski and I don't know what the heck you're talking about. I've never seen you before, why the heck would I attack you?  
  
A harsh look, mixed with disappointment came over his face. "I was hoping we wouldn't have to play this game. Now we're just going to have to do things the hard way. "Doc," he called over his shoulder, though no one was in the room "get the pentathol."  
  
"What's pentathol?" I asked a little hesitantly  
  
"It's a truth serum. I had hoped not to use it, but since you are not cooperating..."He left the sentence hanging as if to say 'hey the decision was yours.'  
  
"But I'm telling you the truth" I said as alarm began to set in. If I was injected with a truth serum, he might find out about Riddick, and I couldn't let that happen. "I'll tell you anything you want to know, just please don't inject me with anything. I hate needles." I whispered letting my words crack a bit at the end for added effect.  
  
He looked at me for a moment closely scrutinizing my innocent expression before introducing himself. "I'm, Matt. I'm the chief security officer for the merchant vessel Lucky Lady. You're in the ship's brig because you stabbed me as we were opening your shuttle's bay doors to answer your distress call. Now you are..."he queried leaving an obvious opening for me to fill in the missing information.   
  
"Well, I'm Audrey. One of three survivors from the Hunter Gratzner crash on planet Hell. I honestly don't remember stabbing you." I said putting as much sincerity in my voice as possible while looking guiltily at his bandaged arm. All I remember is talking to the captain about happened down on the planet and then hearing the creatures shrieking outside the skiff. Then everything goes black, and I draw a blank."  
  
"Well ill just have doc give you a physical and make sure everything is on the up and up."   
  
"Can I have my dad with me?" I pleaded softly "I'm really nervous around doctors." I said giving him my most chaste expression.  
  
"Yeah sure, as soon as the antibiotics wear off we'll send him to ya. But, until the captain corroborates your story though you're staying here. I'll send the doc in now." He said as he walked out the door locking it behind him.  
  
Walking down the hall, he chuckled to himself. She was a slick one, that girl. Her acting was masterful, not that he bought any of it. She would be fun to teach, if he ever got the inclination. Well, he decided, he could always use the help and she's young enough that she wouldn't have to unlearn bad habits. Plus by the time she was ready to be given any real assignments she would probably be of age, the setup was perfect. He would put it to her the next time he saw her.  
  
Walking to his room, he got on the vid-link for his weekly call to his brother. After a few rings, his brother's younger face came on the screen.  
  
"You look like crap baby brother." He said upon seeing his brother's haggard face   
  
"Gee thanks old man - its good to see you haven't lost your sense of humor, Matt."  
  
"How's dad?" He asked with a grimace, knowing he had just invited a spiel about his brother's most recent grievances   
  
"His usual charming self. I swear he sends me out on the most dangerous missions just to torment me. I almost got killed the other day, and all he could do was yell at me for losing two of my crewmates - like I did it on purpose" he huffed.  
  
"Jarod, you know somewhere way down deep, real deep underneath all the grime and dust of his unused heart, he loves you...and me too I'm sure." Matt said innocently.  
  
"Gee thanks" Jarod snorted acerbically, "you know just how to make my day. My hero!"  
  
"Shut up." Matt laughed  
  
"Yea whatever, so anything new happen by you, or are you still floating around the back regions of space in that hunk-o-junk you call a 'merchant vessel' praying you'll find something of value?" Jarod asked  
  
"Well I think I just picked me up a protégé." Matt replied slowly.  
  
"For your security work?" Jarod questioned.  
  
"Uhhh no, for the other." Matt hedged  
  
"Shit, are you serious." Matt asked incredulously after a moment of shocked silence. "You know how much training that is? Besides it's dangerous - even you almost didn't survive the training. He better be damned good."  
  
"Not yet, but she will be." He replied, with finality closing the conversation. "Anyway I gotta go talk to my little protege. Y'know duty calling and all that..."  
  
"She? Yeah, uh huh right..." Matt choked, still dazed over his brother's decision. "Wait a sec, how old is this she?" he asked before he realized he had been talking to a dial tone." 


	3. 

Chapter 3  
  
Lounging on my throne of clouds, I looked about my celestial kingdom and wondered why I had this nagging feeling that I was forgetting something. Though I couldn't remember what it was, I figured it must have been something important since I couldn't shake the feeling. The more I concentrated on remembering, the more I became aware of a distant beeping that filled the air. It grew steadily louder until finally, it took on the cadence of my own heartbeat. When I realized that it was probably just a heart monitor, my mind snapped back to reality banishing my peaceful dreamland to the dark, unused recesses of my mind. Not knowing where I was, and afraid to find out, I kept my eyes closed and tried to place myself using common sense.   
  
I could tell from the crisp linens rustling around my body, and the pillow under my head that I was lying in a bed somewhere. I could feel the heat from a halogen bulb nearby and turned my face towards it until I could see red shadows on the inside of my eyelids. For this I was supremely grateful. If there was light, then there were no creatures. There was no antiseptic smell, so I doubted....  
  
"If you want to know where you are then just open your eyes and look around." Suggested an amused male voice emanating from the right side of the bed. "No one will bite you here." He continued when I didn't immediately comply. I lay there quietly while weighing the pros and cons of continuing the charade that was obviously futile. Reaching a decision, I slowly opened my eyes and looked towards the direction where I had heard his voice. All I could see though, were blurred and fuzzy blotches of color since my vision wouldn't come into focus. Feeling slightly uneasy about being so weak in an unknown environment, I shifted to sit up, and immediately regretted my hasty actions when a sudden shaft of intense pain saturated my nerve endings, graying the edges of what little vision I did have.   
  
My sudden gasp must have clued him into what had happened, because he rushed to my side and lent me some support so I could lay back down without injuring myself further. After a moment, the surge receded and I was able to breathe again without thinking I was going to die in the process.  
  
I tried to look down at myself to see what had happened, when his restraining hand planted itself on the top of my head, restricting my movement.   
  
"Watch it there Humpty. I don't have any more king's men to spare putting you back together again." The man said with a grin.  
  
"Who are you, and how did I get here? I croaked painfully. "I thought I was going to die on that hell hole of a planet.".  
  
"Lieutenant Jarod Flyman, at your service ma'am" he said with a small salute. "You're on the Search and Rescue vessel Lady Luck after being found near death on Romani C." After he was done introducing himself, he held a plastic cup and bendy-straw to my lips for me to drink.  
  
After taking enough of a sip to moisten my dry, aching throat, I asked him what had happened as casually as my straining voice would allow. I wondered if they had found any other bodies. I wondered if Riddick had gotten Jack, and Imam off the planet's surface.  
  
"About five days ago we received an SOS from the merchant vessel Hunter Gratzner which was on route to the Tangier System with forty commercial passengers and one level five con. Just as the co-ordinates were being relayed we lost the transmission. We knew you had been blown out of your shipping lane and looked for any planets in the area that were able to sustain life. We found that only the second planet in the system, Romani C, had such specs. By the time we arrived, an eclipse had already shrouded the surface in darkness so we did a bio-scan and only found one human life sign. You. We shuttled down to rescue you. And after seven hours of regenitive surgery, here you are all patched up and well on your way to a clean bill of health." He finished with a little grin.  
  
"We shuttled down...? How many people went down to the planet to rescue me?" I asked hesitantly, not sure I wanted to know the answer.  
  
The grin disappeared as his eyes darkened with sorrow and grief. "There were three of us who shuttled down to the planet's surface. You and me are the only ones who made it back." He said stiffly, staring intently at the bare white walls of the room behind my bed. After a tense moment of silence, he shook himself out of his reverie, and focused on me once more. "I have to get back on duty. I'll be back later to check on you." He said quietly all signs of good humor gone from his grim expression. As he turned to exit he looked at me one last time before whispering softly "I'm glad you survived, Carolyn Fry." And with that he was gone.  
  
The next time I woke, an older version of Jarod was standing beside the bed reviewing my charts. Talk about Rip Van Winkle-Whoa.   
  
So what's the prognosis doc?" I asked quietly   
  
"I am not the doctor. I am the captain of this ship." He responded not looking up from my charts.  
  
Now that my vision had cleared, I was finally able to look around the room, and appreciate the sights. There was a vase of plastic flowers sitting on the bed-stand to my right. I could just make out the card that read 'Get Well Soon Carolyn Fry. Jarod.' Behind that was a huge bay window, that provided a striking frame for the stars beyond. To my left was a small dresser, which was probably empty since I was wearing everything I owned. On the far wall I could just make out the dim outline of what I took to be the bathroom door, and to the left of that was the door Jarod had departed from earlier.  
  
Now that I had surveyed the room to my satisfaction, I returned my gaze to the captain only to find that he had already been studying me. I was curious to know why the captain of a search and rescue vessel would come and personally check up on one of his rescue cases. Surely rescuing people was a common enough occurrence that he would not find it necessary to visit each stray his crew saved. Just as I was about to ask though, he spoke.  
  
"You, Carolyn Fry, have a strong will to survive." Looking down at my charts he started reading from my list of injuries. "Two cracked ribs, broken tibia in the right leg, four puncture wounds on either side of your torso, sprained left knee, concussion, trauma to the optical nerves...and the list goes on. You are very lucky to be alive young lady." He said shaking my file and smiling.  
  
"Now," he continued his smile leaking warmth like a sieve does water. "Suppose you tell me what happened to Riddick."  
  
"Who? I asked feigning ignorance  
  
"Richard B. Riddick -- Level Five escaped convict. Accused of murdering his father and ten guards while escaping his first penal colony. He had been apprehended by a bounty hunter and was being returned to Slam City, a maximum-security prison, to serve out his life sentence via the Hunter Gratzner, when it crashed on Romani C. The interplanetary police lost all contact with the bounty hunter bringing him in after that. Since you encompass our intelligence in regards to the passengers of the ill fated ship, perhaps you know what happened to him." He questioned mildly, though I could see his knuckles whiten on the armrests of the chair he was now perched in.  
  
"Johns. The bounty hunter's name was Johns." I muttered hastily to buy myself some time to decide what I was going to do.  
  
"I don't care who the bounty hunter was." He exploded. "Riddick killed my first born; my oldest son Matt -- and for that he has to pay, and he will pay dearly." He hissed, anger and grief pouring off him in palpable waves.  
  
Knowing that the Riddick who had helped us escape the planet was not the same person who was accused of those murders, I made up my mind to help him as much as I could.  
  
"Yea well Johns and I were a team, and this last mission would have given us enough money to finally buy our own ship" I whispered imbuing my voice with as much sincerity and wistfulness as possible, even though the thought of me and Johns together made me want to puke. "But Riddick killed him to keep the creatures occupied while he made his escape." I said my anger unfeigned as I remembered what Johns had been prepared to do to Jack, just to save his own hide - the weasel. After a moment of silence when I was sure I had the captain's full attention I blurted out that I had killed him.  
  
He looked at me skeptically. "You? You killed Riddick, one of the most feared and dangerous men of this century, and you killed him. Forgive me if I'm skeptical," he mocked, "but may I ask how you accomplished such a feat?"  
  
I turned away as if remembering were too much for me to bear while I thought quickly. How could I get him to believe me? Then it came to me, my guiding light; I had to play up to his idea of parental revenge.   
  
Turning back to him with sorrow and tears in my eyes, I told him all about my daughter Jackie, and how Riddick had held her hostage to keep the others in line. "So," I continued tearfully, "In an effort to get her back, I attacked him and screamed at her to run. I managed to cut him" I grinned savagely for added theatrical effect, "before he disarmed me and threw me down. I was just enough of a diversion, though, for him to let my daughter go.   
  
"You were right," I choked convincingly, "I wouldn't have been able to kill him myself, but I knew the creatures were attracted to blood so my little nick was all I really needed. As he was standing above me ready to skewer me like a shish-ka-bob, one of the creatures swooped down and carried him away - a personal dinner guest I hope." I finished closing my eyes and letting a little tear trickle down my cheek. I waited for him to take the bait  
  
"What happened to your daughter?" he asked tensely as he searched my face for sincerity.  
  
Hook, line and sinker. "Sh...she was carried off as well." I cried. And for the rest of my life I'll have to live with the fact that if I had been a little better at protecting my child this would never have happened. But I take comfort in the fact that the bastard got paid back in spades."  
  
"More than you know." He smiled coldly. "The creatures carry a toxin in their claws that acts as a poison to the human body interfering with the synaptical relays causing them to die slowly and painfully. My younger son, Jarod, I believe you already met him, was scored across his back during the rescue and almost died from it."  
  
"What are you going to do when you are fully recovered?" He asked quietly  
  
"Don't know yet. Don't have anything planned. Don't have any money, or family," I told him truthfully. "They were all wiped out in a plague on Tribol."   
  
After a moment of silence where we both continued to size each other up, he seemed to come to some important decision. "I can arrange a place for you to go. But there are strings attached" he said slowly as if still not one hundred percent convinced he was doing the right thing.  
  
"I'm listening" I responded as casually as I could.  
  
"There is a top secret organization privately funded by the Company that can take you in. They are more advanced than any agency presently known in surveillance and warfare. Their soldiers are prepared for all eventualities. I can't tell you more until I know your answer."  
  
After a moment of thought I decided - What the hell its not like I had a whole lot else to do, and maybe I can use their technology to help me find Riddick and Jack. Out loud though all I said was "Ok, ill go along with this, now tell me what it is I've just agreed to do."  
  
He looked satisfied as he began his explanation.  
  
"I knew you would do it. You will be signing up for a three-year intensive training program that will teach you everything you need to know to live. Weapons, self-defense, survival under the harshest of conditions. You will become one of the most elite soldiers in the galaxy. You will have access to the most state of the art technology there is in order to complete your missions."  
  
"There are only two down sides to this." He continued after a moment's pause. "First, is that once you enter the program, Carolyn Fry will cease to exist. Her records, her life, her history will all erased. According to the world, there will have been no such person as Carolyn Fry. Can you handle that?" he asked quietly knowing what he was asking me to give up.  
  
"Well its not like I did anything to alter the galaxy, and there is no one out there to miss me, so I don't see the problem." I answered a lot more flippantly than I felt. "And the second?"  
  
"Well, the second is that only 22% of the people who sign up live through the training. Only 6% of those are women." And of the survivors, only 13% are mentally stable enough to join the program. Do you understand what I am telling you?" He asked quietly  
  
After seeing me nod, he took a deep breath and continued. "The life you are about to enter is dangerous, and painful. And by the time you are done you will have wished to quit hundreds of times or more. But be aware that the only way to quit the program is death."   
  
"Are you trying to sign me up, or warn me not to?" I asked unsure of his intentions.  
  
"I'm trying to tell you that this will not be an easy thing to do. You will basically be giving away all rights to yourself, and the only positive thing that will come this membership is that you will never again say that you were unprepared.  
  
"Well I always was up for a challenge" I chuckled uncertainly, already beginning to second-guess my decision.   
  
After looking at me one final time he rose and turned to leave. Just as his hand reached the doorknob, he called over his shoulder "I'll make all the arrangements. You leave in a month."  
  
Chapter 4   
  
I limped into the captain's ready room fully armed with Jacks's, I mean Audrey's story, and my own determination to take advantage of the opportunity Carolyn had given us at the cost of her life.  
  
"Captain, how goes it?" I began congenially. "I wanted to thank you for saving us. Is there any way that we can...?"  
  
"Look Mr...?" He asked clearly expecting me to fill in the blank.  
  
"Kowalski. Mr. Rick Kowalski." I supplied without a moments hesitation. Everything depended on my ability to pull this off.  
  
"O.k. Mr. Kowalski," he said with a smirk. "Let's not beat around the bush. Although you might be better prepared than most, I'd still need my shovel for the crap you guys are dishing out. Though I don't doubt that you have a close relationship, you three are not who you say you are. I can't tell what your story is yet, but I know you're running from something or someone. I can understand that." He said looking me straight in the eyes.  
  
I tensed my muscles ready to make a run for it if I had to, but otherwise remained motionless neither agreeing nor disagreeing with his words. I wondered if he knew who I really was. I wondered if he had been able to somehow run those tests on my blood sample after all.   
  
"A tougher cookie to crack than most." He smiled when I didn't immediately crumble at his feet. "As you will soon find out, everyone on this ship has some sort of history or another. Everyone here has a secret to hide. The only thing I ask is that it does not interfere with the workings of this ship. We live in peace by allowing each person their privacy. On this ship everyone is innocent. If you and your two companions have something of use to contribute you can stay. In return I can virtually guarantee no interference by the intergalactic police. I have enough wheels greased in that area that I don't worry about them much. Do you understand Mr. Kowalski? He asked seriously.  
  
"Yes'ir," I responded instantly -knowing instinctively that the sanctuary he offered was real.  
  
As I was getting up to leave, he uttered one last warning.  
  
"If you harm anyone on this ship, or do anything to violate the laws of co-existence, it will be the last thing you on board, or ever for that matter. I am offering you a fair trade. An honest day's work for continued silence and good behavior. Unless I'm mistaken, this is a second chance for you. Don't abuse it, and don't cross me." He said with finality.  
  
"Understood sir," I answered barely keeping my astonishment in check. For such a small jolly man he sure packed a punch. I had to tell Jack and Imam. If we were in this together we had to decide together what we were going to do.   
  
Walking back to the only room I knew, I thought about what the captain had said, and what he had offered. This would be the perfect place to lay low while things died down. I just had to convince my two partners that this was the place to be.  
  
Entering the sickbay, I saw Imam sitting in the same place I left him, meditating alone in the room. After checking for bugs or any other surveillance devices, I tapped him on the knee to wake him from his trance. After telling him the whole story, I waited for his reaction. After studying me intently for a while, he said simply, "I will be their spiritual guide," and went back to his meditative state.  
  
Knowing that I would get nothing further from him any time soon, I decided to poke around and see if I could find Jack, and maybe check out this 'security officer' they had on board. Striding over to one of the computer terminals on the other side of the room, I accessed a copy of the ships schematics. I needed a general idea of where everything was, and a specific idea of where I could find the brig. Getting what I needed, I left sickbay on my reconnaissance mission.  
  
*** "Hey Audrey, I know I'm not your preferred person of the day right now, but I want you to listen to what I have to say since I am only going to make this offer once."  
  
"You don't have anything I want, and if you did, do you really think that I would take it from you? I don't want to deal with a child neglecting s.o.b. It's been over twenty-four hours, I haven't eaten; I haven't slept, and I have yet to see anyone besides you. Now, suppose you tell me why my dad hasn't been allowed to see me yet; and where my uncle is? I retorted watching warily as he paced the chamber  
  
Sitting down, Matt studied the petite girl lounging defiantly on the bed before him. She had her feet crossed at the ankles and her arms tucked behind her head, as if she didn't have a care in the world. He, however, could tell she was scared by her pale complexion and her stiff posture, but she refused to give an inch. She refused to show him her fear, or beg for the leniency she knew he could give her. Instead, she demanded answers and spoke contemptuously towards the one person who could get her out of her predicament. What a jewel. He was sure that given the proper training she could be honed to be the perfect weapon. She had all the qualifications; the face of an angel, the temperament of the devil himself, and more courage then some trained men twice her age  
  
"Listen, Audrey, I know you want out, and I'm going to let you out, under one condition." I stopped to make sure I had her complete attention. "You train with me."  
  
She didn't respond. Not even by the smallest flicker of an eyelash. She just stared at me as though this was exactly what she had expected to hear. She slowly shifted her position on the bed till she was perched on the far corner from me looking down at her clenched hands.  
  
"Train for what?"   
  
"Does it really matter if it gets you out of here?  
  
Meeting my gaze directly and pinning me with her stare she murmured "yeah it does, it really does."  
  
"You will train to become an Omega One. At the moment they are the most elite military fighting unit in the known universe. They are trained in combat both defensive and offensive, computers, and survival."  
  
"If you are planning to train me to become an 'Omega One', that would mean that you already went through the training. But, if you are who you imply you are, then what are you doing floating on this hunk of junk in the back alleys of space. Shouldn't you be with your unit, or at your base of operations or something - unless you are in about as much trouble as you think I'm in. However," I mused thoughtfully, "if that were truly the case, then why would you give me ammunition against you, unless you think I can, or am going to help you. Is that it? Do you think I am going to help you?  
  
"Your observation skills are rather sharp for one so young. It's true, I was an Omega One. I was even at the top of my class when I graduated the academy. But the academy is idealistic in its expectations of honesty and moral trustworthiness. My squad was siphoning money and equipment from the company. I was in the process of pulling their plug when they framed me for a crime I didn't commit. Its very hard to accuse someone of doing wrong when you are in the shit-house yourself. Unfortunately the only way out of the Omega One program is death, which is why I officially died two years ago on October 22nd - only my brother knows I'm still alive; well my brother and now you." He said looking at me pointedly warning me to keep my mouth shut. "Though I have no major desire to return to the program, I do intend to clear my name and get some well deserved revenge. That's where you come in. I need a small military unit backing me up. You have the qualities to succeed in this business, and with the training I can give you, you could find work anywhere in the galaxy without lifting your little finger. People would come looking for you to give you jobs; they would also pay a pretty penny to keep you if you hire on."  
  
Looking at me he fell silent knowing I needed a moment to think. I weighed the pros and cons of what he was asking. It sounded like I would be given financial as well as physical independence in return for being dragged through the seven levels of hell face first. Humph. Just as I was about to answer a hard, echoing tap filled the room.  
  
Pulling out his gun, Matt indicated that I should be quiet while he checked out the door to see who it was. I was pretty sure I already knew who it was but decided to sit back relax and enjoy the show. As Matt's hand was turned the handle, the door flew in catching him square in the face. Riddick stepped quietly inside closed the door behind him and waited for Matt to clear his eyes before introducing himself.  
  
"I'm only going to ask you this once, so I advise you not to fuck with me. What have you done to my daughter?"  
  
Without responding, Matt dropped into a fighter's stance after shaking off the last of the stars impairing his vision.  
  
Sighing at the stupidity of some people, Riddick looked at me before trying one last time to stop things before they escalated any further. He didn't want to jeopardize his place on the station before he even really got it. "Believe me, you don't want to do this. You don't know who you're fucking with."  
  
Matt's only response was to breathe deeply as if grounding himself for the coming fight.  
  
Shaking his head, Riddick sent me a terse "stay back" before dropping into an identical pose. With a muttered "let the games begin" they both began to circle - two predators looking for a weakness in their prey.  
  
They warmed up by testing each other out. They threw hooks, uppercuts, sweeps, and round-houses. They even got up close and personal and did some grappling before they broke off and got back into a neutral position. They looked like mirror images. They were relatively the same height and build, and they seemed to have the same training because they moved with the same fluid grace and knew all each other's moves. The only difference was that even I could tell Riddick was faster and better. He seemed to just be toying with Matt, testing his abilities for some weird purpose. A hunch began to bloom in my somewhat suspicious mind. And 'lovable' mischief-maker that I was, I decided to act on it and see the sparks fly.  
  
"Hey, dad. Matt is part of some group called Omega One and he's decided he wants to train me, so don't rough him up too bad."  
  
It was as if I had poured ice water down their sweating backs. They both jumped and stared at me as if trying to comprehend the stupidity needed to discuss such a 'top secret' program in the open, and then they looked at each other with new understanding.  
  
"What unit..." they both asked simultaneously before stopping awkwardly. This was just not something one discussed in the open. They had been drilled for years about the importance of keeping their operations covert, so the instinct to keep quiet was a hard one to overcome. Plus they both knew that they only way out of the corp. was in a body bag, which meant that they were both hiding from the powers that be - which could be a good thing or a bad one.  
  
Finally, after looking at me for a moment, Matt took the initiative. "I was part of the Bravo unit. Call number tango tango six eight."  
  
"Alpha Unit, subsection - Chameleon" came the stunted reply - "bravo tango nine two four"  
  
"Chameleons?" But they were just a myth we were told about while in the academy.  
  
Without another word, Riddick rotated until the small tattoo of a chameleon pierced by a sword could be seen trying to crawl up his shoulder blade as it peeked out from the edge of his sleeveless t-shirt.  
  
"Jesus!"  
  
"So what does that mean?" I piped up breaking the tension that was steadily building.  
  
"The Chameleons were a covert group within the Alpha unit. They were the first group to graduate from the Omega One program. Out of a class of eighty-three students only five managed to live through the training. Even the company decided that the training was too harsh for the program and downgraded it to what is taught now. Those five were concidered to be the best of the best, but three of them went crazy, and the other two were reported as dead. Their only distinguishing mark was said to be the tattoo that is presently imprinted onto your '"dad's" shoulder blade"  
  
"Oh! Cool. Does that mean I can train with him Riddick?" She asked cheerfully knowing full well that he had no real say in the matter.  
  
Without responding to her directly Riddick turned to Matt and growled. "I know what goes into the training. Try anything funny with her and it'll be the last thing you do." With that he turned to me with one of his rare grins and said "You're gonna get what you asked for, but for once you might not want what you get." And with that he turned on his heel and left the room.  
  
18  
  
1 


End file.
